Weapons Can Protect
by Call it Karma
Summary: Gaara's thoughts on Matsuri, and on the message that he took away from his battle with Naruto. Episode 216 of the anime.


Children, he had never been good with them, even when he was one. In fact, he was never really good with people. He was good at making them stare, paralyzed with fear. He was good at killing; very good. He was the ultimate weapon, a prized part of the village. It was a double-edged sword; he was the ultimate weapon of the village, but he could also kill everyone in it. He was all these things, but he wasn't too sure if he wanted it to remain that way.

What was it that Naruto, that stupid looking kid, had said to him? In no way was that little blond boy eloquent, but Gaara supposed that there was no need for him to be. His meaning was so clear, actions spoke louder than words. That boy had amassed a tremendous amount of power, extracted all of his strength just to protect that girl. To protect important people: that is what Naruto gained his power for.

Konoha was strong, not because of their wealth, but because of the people inside of it. They cared for each other as comrades, and would risk their lives just to protect a comrade. Konoha was filled with talented shinobi, and each generation taught the next. Technique was passed on, and they had a system that ensured only the most talented, strongest characters would pass on to become jounin.

The village of wind needed to build itself up again. They needed shinobi, and their old recruiting system was not working. They decided to adopt the education system that Konoha had. They build a ninja academy. He and his siblings would be the instructors.

He stood there with his eyes closed as his sister addressed the students. It wasn't until a timid sounding girl asked if she had to carry a weapon. It got his attention. She didn't want to hurt anyone. He opened his eyes to see the person who had spoken. He wanted to tell her that a weapon could be used for more than just killing.

"A weapon," he started. Gaara, the ultimate weapon, could do more than just kill. Couldn't he? He didn't know. After his battle with Naruto, he had been thinking, that he could feel alive, even when he didn't kill anything. He hadn't killed anything since then, but he wasn't sure how long it would last. He saw his siblings tense as he opened his mouth to speak. He wasn't sure of his words any more, or even his thoughts. "No, it's nothing."

He looked at the bunch of eager young children standing before him. He felt them staring at him, never once meeting his eyes. If he listened, he caught fearful whispers.

"Smile," Temari hissed. He didn't. He wasn't there to make friends. If thpse idiots that stood before him wanted to learn to become great ninja, they would learn from him. Otherwise, he would leave the instructing to his siblings, they were more adept at not making people run in the opposite direction.

'_I guess it's a good thing that he didn't smile. It would probably just make him look more frightening,' _thought Temari.

He looked at that child; her face was too open. She was seemingly unafraid. No other child stood beside her. Didn't she want to study with her friends? Why was she alone? He better make sure that she wasn't standing there because she was slow, or something.

"Are you sure you're okay with me?"

"Please," she insisted. With that, Temari and Kankuro looked on in horror. What was it with this kid? Was she really sane? First, she doesn't want to choose a weapon, because she doesn't want to kill anyone. No ninja ever thought like that. Then, she insists on having Gaara as her instructor. Temari and Kankuro were Gaara's siblings, and even they were uneasy being around him. Temari remained stoic. Kankuro's face visibly dropped in horror. He almost stepped away from the bizarre girl.

"Your name?"

"Matsuri," she replied. She still looked timid, but now she was slightly afraid. This was Gaara, the most feared person in the village. But he didn't look angry with her. He didn't look like he was about to kill her either. It was a silent encouragement.

He told her to choose a weapon, and that was where it began. It was the first life that Gaara would be in close contact with. He would be responsible for this girl. He would be responsible for educating her, making sure that she would have the strength and ability to survive if she were ever to go on a mission. He would have to impart upon her the things that he had learned in his life. She had an obvious fear of weapons, and she was passive, far from the killing type. There weren't many weapons left; the other students had already picked what they wanted. That was fine with him. Of the three remaining weapons, there was the jouhyou. It would be perfect for her. It would defend her, and it would be able to disarm enemies without killing them. He was surprised when she picked up the club. It was obviously something far too heavy for her. It didn't fit.

He gave her the joujyou when she asked him to tell her what weapon to choose. With a brief demonstration, he told her to practice until it felt like an extension of her. She was horrible, the metal part deflected off of the wood, and came back to bite her. She was obviously unwilling to wield any weapon. You couldn't control something unless you remained willing to do so. You can't hit something while being afraid, and she was obviously afraid of something.

"My mother and father were killed with countless weapons before my very eyes," she admitted. "That's why I…" She trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid. Gaara tried to understand her fear, and alleviate it. He tried to explain that she could wield a weapon without the intent to kill. He wasn't sure how he could say that with words, so he used his battle with Naruto to explain it to her. He tried to explain, that you can protect friends with your weapon. She stared, and he realized that it didn't sink in. So, he decided to let her have time to herself, perhaps she would get it on her own. So he walked away.


End file.
